I have thought long and hard about the Common Core standards. I have decided that I cannot support them. In this post, I will explain why. I have long advocated for voluntary national standards, be...

Caroline Weber's insight:

I was surprised by how much I learned from this blog post. Most of the reading I've done so far on this topic has been in favor of Commor Core, so I was looking specifically for arguments against the curriculum, and this was a well articulated piece.

The first argument she makes against supporting Common Core is not knowing how they are expected to work in our school systems. She makes the comparison of how the FDA would never implement a drug without doing test runs first, yet 46 states have implemented the curriculum standards without knowing first what the results will be like. This is certainly a valid argument, but at the same time I think there will always be uncertainty involved when implementing new programs, so there's not really anything we can do about this.

I don't know if I misunderstood previous readings, but I know for certain that the in video I scooped on this page with the teacher from Colorado talking about why she liked the Common Core, she said she liked the freedom the standards gave her. It gave room for creativity and innovation in the classroom. Yet this blogger argues the exact opposite. She says the standards were developed by the government, not by the states. One example of the strictness set by the standards is the arbitrary division of fiction vs. non-fiction reading material to be covered. I don't like this aspect of the Common Core, because like this author says, critical thinking skills can be learned through reading any type of text, so the standards should not be so specific in this aspect.

Something else I learned in this post was that the government made it so that states that chose not to implement the Common Core would not receive Race to the Top money. I didn't know this before, and this makes me really angry. Education is a state power, not a national power, and bribery is not something I'm okay with. While I understand that we should have a nationally united education system, withholding money from states that refuse to implement a set of standards that have not yet been tested is not the way to go about it.

The final argument the blogger makes is about higher standards for tests scores, which is causing grades to drop nationally. I don't necessarily think this would be something to worry about if part of the Core was not to review teachers based on their students' grades. If we're going to hold our students to higher standards, naturally there will be an adjustment period. Grades are grades, and if students are learning more, we shouldn't be worrying about numbers. However, part of the Core defines teacher success based on these numbers, so it is understandable to be opposed to the Core for this reason.

I thought this was a very informative post, and it definitely made me more skeptical of the Common Core. I will continue to follow this topic to see how students respond to the new standards.

This is a video of a teacher talking about why she supports implementing Common Core standards in classrooms across the country. She mentions a lot of benefits that she has had first hand experience with. First, she said she sees her students engaging in more deep reading and careful analysis of literature materials. They are more curious about their learning and passionate about the material. I see this as beneficial because I personally think that a desire and passion for learning along with critical thinking skills are the two most important things to encourage long-term academic success.

Second, she says Common Core gives teachers a broader set of standards that doesn't tell teachers exactly how to teach. It gives them more creativity and flexibility in the classroom so that they can incorporate their own style, make adjustments according to how they see their students responding, and dive deeper into material they think is important. To me, this is an ideal model of teaching. I can't comment on whtether or not all teachers feel this way about the Common Core, but from the way this teacher talks about her experience with the standards, it seems incredibly opportune to me.

The third benefit she mentions is the ability to communicate with other teachers in different states and share lesson plans and experiences to heighten learning experiences for students. I'm a fan of collaboration and sharing ideas, so this idea appeals to me as well.

I'm not an expert on the differences between the old standards the the Common Core standards, but this video clip was enough to convince me that Common Core is a step in the right direction for education.

SARATOGA COUNTY>> The Common Core State Standards Initiative, adopted by 46 states, have been embraced by some in the education field, been tolerated by others and caused everything from excitement to tension.

Caroline Weber's insight:

Getting parents involved in understanding the standards of Common Core in gaining support for the changes students will see in the classroom. In general, parents should be academically involved in the classroom so that learning can be extended to sutdents' home life, but it's especially important for schools changing over to Common Core standards--there is so much bad publicity surrounding the changes, and parents need to be eductated about the actual changes taking place.

I think that Common Core's emphasis on making connections over several texts is fantastic. This is exactly the kind of direction we need to guide our students in. Ultimately, when you are able to take one lesson you've learned and apply it to something else completely different, it proves that you've really understood that lesson. Therefore, I think having this skill will make students smarter and well-rounded in the long run. It's also a great idea to encourage the use of other forms of reading (like newspapers and poems) in conjunction with novels because this forces students to make the connection, and it also prepares students for college where this practice is common. I didn't like that some people aren't supportive of common core because they feel the reading standards discriminate against low income students. While it may be true that these students are at lower reading levels than their peers, this is something that desperately needs to be fixed. When these practices are implemented in schools, there will certainly be a drop in proficiency scores, but I think that drop will be worth it in the long run once students adjust to the difficulty level.

I don't think that encouraging depth should lead to elimination of classic texts. How does reading only a portion of a novel encourage understanding the text on a deeper level? That doesn't really make sense to me. Some argue that pushing classic literature doesn't really engage students because they can't relate to it, but when teachers are also encouraging depth and making connections to other readings, those classic texts become more relatable and students will be able to connect with them like that most likely weren't able to in the past.

This is the official website of Common Core. Since there is so much controversy surrounding the implementation of these new standards, I think as a future teacher of these standards, it is essential to be familiar with what they actually say. Knowledge of the standards will also help form an opinion and contribute to discussions about them.

I'm not a gambling person, but if I had to place a bet on one sure-fire method for engaging students, increasing test scores, reaching students who fall below standards, challenging students who exce

Caroline Weber's insight:

Through my research so far, I've learned that one of the goals of Common Core is to allow teachers to infuse their own style and creativity into teaching. This article encourages teachers to take advantage of the broad guidelines of Common Core to engage students using music and the arts in their lessons.

The blog post first clarifies that there's no need to fear incorporating arts into teaching just because you are not a teacher or a musician: teachers by nature are creative, and embracing the arts is part of embracing that creativity. The author also emphasizes that it's not about teaching art instead of regular teaching, it's doing regular lessons through art, so nothing is missing.

Some of the ideas suggested in the blog post included listening to related music, having students act out a scene from history, encouraging students to make up a song to remember facts, or learning about the culture during a particular period in history. One idea that I never would have thought of on my own was using music to promote number awareness. The students could compare the sounds of solo, duet, quintet, and orchestra pieces to understand the abstract concept of numbers. They could even make the music themselves, which encorporates kinesthetic, visual, and auditory learning.

I loved this article, especially because last semester I took a music education class where we learned all about how to encorporate art and music into our lesson plans. It's great to see that actually implementing the things I learned in that class into my lessons won't be that difficult.

Wow...this kid is going places, and it's not because of Common Core. His name is Ethan Young and he is a senior. He presented his case at the Knox County School Board regular meeting on November 6,...

Caroline Weber's insight:

I generally support Common Core and the standards it promotes, but this speaker makes some really good points that are hard to ignore. One specific issue with Common Core Young points out is the teacher evaluation component of the curriculum. He says "erroneous evaluation coupled with strategic compensation presents an impunative model that is like watching your teacher jump through flaming hoops to earn a score." He mentions the intricate relationships between teachers and students to emphasize that it is impossible ever establish an 'effective' way to evaluate teachers.

Young also calls into question the purpose of education as defined by Common Core (something we discussed in seminar). Common Core says the purpose of education is college and career readiness, but Young argues this should not be the case, and we should instead focus on creativity, appreciation, and inquisitiveness. I think college and career readiness is incredibly important, and should be part of the purpose of education, but I also agree with Young. I wouldn't go so far as to say that standard-based education is ruining learning, the purpose of education should be expanded so that we have well-rounded students and we aren't just "producing workers" like Young says. I think his conclusion says it best: "Haven't we gone too far with data? Teaching is never quantifiable. If everything I learned in high school is a measurable objective, I have not learned anything."

I believe in standards, but he's right when he says school is about a whole lot more than those standards. Common Core might be more effective if it expanded it's purpose of education to include more personal goals for students instead of limiting them to college and career readiness.

Editor's note: The following story contains graphic language. Discretion is advised.

Caroline Weber's insight:

Common Core has established new reading standards, which in some cases changes required readings. Some people think it is Common Core's duty to ban some inappropriate texts, even if it's just by removing the text from a suggested reading list. What do you think? Should schools censor the material they present to students? Personally, I don't think there is any topic that is off limits once students reach high school. Kids are going to be presented with this material eventually anyway, so why not do it in a controlled, mature academic environment? It's good for kids to see that there is a big world out there, and it is certainly not a school's place to decide what is and what is not appropriate for students to be reading.

Editor's note: This story is one in a series on education issues featured at the 2013 Education Nation summit in New York City on Oct. 6-8. To learn more, please visit EducationNation.com.

Caroline Weber's insight:

Some opposition to Common Core is so strong that parents are pulling their students out of school to home-school them instead. One of the changes in the math program delays the start of Alegbra until high school, which makes it difficult to start calculus before college, which in turn may make students less prepared for college. Another issue people have with Common Core are some of the designated literature in the curriculum, as some parents find these books inappropriate. However, the article mentions that the literature are mere suggestions, not requirements. It does not address whether the math concern is worth worrying about, but either way, I think it's important that people be educated about what Common Core means for their students before they make rash decisions about homeschooling.

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